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Thursday, January 12, 2012

Oyamel, Part Deux

This Part Deux takes us one of the first meals I ever wrote about for the blog, Oyamel. With me on this excursion are Official Friend of DCWD Alison, and Official Girlfriend of DCWD Texas.

The Food

 
Before spending the last year on the Thai-Burmese border, Alison had done a yearlong fellowship in Mexico and had studied abroad in Oaxaca, so her knowledge here was definitely real helpful. All the same, we stuck mostly with dishes that were familiar to all.

First up were chilaquiles: nachos that are basically drowning in melted cheese and tomatillo salsa. These were ordered almost entirely because we saw them on the table next to ours and they looked delicious. In fact, they were amazing, dripping in cheese and awesome, so much so that the chain continued when the table next to us asked what we were eating and ordered some as well.

Also to share was black refried beans with melted Chihuahua cheese inside, served with Mexican cream, micro cilantro, and fresh tortillas. This was better than your average refried beans, owing to its freshness, though to me they were still a tad bit bland.

On the opposite end of the spectrum were our mussels steamed with tequila and a broth of sautéed garlic and chipotle. This had a spicy kick for days that really give a short jolt with each bite. For me, the subtlety of any tequila was lost because of the spice, and the mussels were sadly a little undercooked.

With the decided lack of meat at the table (owing to my vegetarian and pescetarian dinner companions), I ordered myself two tacos: one, a pork belly taco with tomatoes, guajillo chiles, pineapple, onions, and cilantro; and one a Guadalajara-style goat, veal, and lamb taco with cascabel, ancho, guajillo chile sauce, onions, and cilantro. Of the two, the pork belly was the more solid, a mix of sweet and savory with a little heat; the mashup of meats in the other taco made for a cool first bite, but something that quickly because boring afterwards.
 
To wrap up, we decided to order a tres leches cake. Lovely ice cream, but the cake itself was a little dry for my tastes.

The Verdict

Solid food, and knows what flavors to play up.

Food Rating: ***
(out of 5)

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